
An Israeli woman has been described as a hero after saving the lives of residents of the community of Nir Am from Hamas attackers.
Inbar Lieberman, 25, led a group of residents to kill more than two dozen advancing terrorists as they defended the kibbutz (community), just a mile from the Gaza Strip, the Daily Mail reports.
Lieberman, who has been part of the security ranks in the region since December 2022, heard the explosions that started early on Saturday as Hamas launched its unprecedented and deadly attack on Israel. She quickly realized the sounds were different from what she heard during the usual rocket attacks on the kibbutz, and rushed to open the armory and quickly distribute the weapons among the 12-member security team.
The 25-year-old placed her squad of kibbutzniks in strategic positions throughout the settlement, set up ambushes and launched a counterattack against Hamas members.
She killed five terrorists herself, while her friends took the lives of 20 others within four hours. Nir Am was turned into an impregnable fortress, while other nearby communities suffered heavier losses.
Maariv Daily reported that a social media post also praised Lieberman's heroism, saying she deserves the Israel Prize.
Nir Am is among the few communities that Hamas terrorists tried to enter, but failed. In Ein Habsor, an area that is also close to the Gaza Strip, a small number of local residents thwarted a larger number of armed terrorists, a resident, Noam Gotliv, told The Times of Israel.
Israel announced on Tuesday the end of an expanded security barrier around the Gaza Strip designed to prevent militants from sneaking into the country. The 40-mile barrier includes radar systems, marine sensors and a network of underground sensors to detect militant tunnels.